


I'm Right Here

by IronWoman359



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Panic Attacks, Running Away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-13 23:38:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16901955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IronWoman359/pseuds/IronWoman359
Summary: When Virgil makes a panicked phone call, Patton is there for Virgil, Logan is there for Patton, and Roman is there for Logan. They may not be able to fix everything right away, but they can be there for each other, and sometimes that’s enough.





	I'm Right Here

It was a fairly quiet night before Patton’s phone rang. His parents weren’t home, they were out of town at some conference, and his brother was upstairs studying, so Patton had the TV in the living room to himself. He was about to hit play on another episode of Parks and Recreation when his phone lit up and began playing “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” the ringtone he had set for his best friend.

“Hello?” he said, picking up the phone. 

At first, he couldn’t hear anything on the other end of the phone, but then a broken sob came through the speakers and Patton jolted upright. 

“Virgil? Hello?” he tried again, and this time all he could hear was his friend’s breathing…or rather, his lack thereof as it came in short, strangled gasps. 

“Virgil, listen to the sound of my voice, okay?” Patton said, doing his best not to panic. That would only make things worse. “I need you to breathe, alright? Just breathe slowly, and focus on me. I’m right here, okay Virge? Just match my breathing…” 

Patton wracked his brain, trying to remember the things that were supposed to help during a panic attack. Controlling your breathing was one of them, and he was doing that…or at least, he hoped he was. He was breathing as steadily as he could, and he  _thought_  he heard Virgil’s breath even out over the phone but he wasn’t sure. 

“P-pat?” Virgil’s voice was impossibly small through the tiny speaker on Patton’s phone, but even then, he could hear the tremor behind the simple word. 

“I’m right here Kiddo, I’m right here with you, you’re gonna be okay, I promise, just…just breathe for me, please Virgil. You can do this…” 

Patton’s voice was growing louder as his heartbeat quickened. He had to  _help_ _,_ but he couldn’t remember what to do, Virgil  _needed_  him and he was being  _useless…_  

“Patton?”That voice wasn’t Virgil’s shaky, far away one, it was steady and calm and sure. 

Patton looked up to see his older brother standing in the doorway, a confused but concerned look on his face. Patton nearly cried with relief. 

“Virgil, Logan’s here. He’s really good at this stuff, remember? I’m gonna put him on and he-” 

“n-no…” It was more of a gasp than a word, and Patton wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly until Virgil spoke again. “D-don’t…don’t leave me…” 

Patton looked up at Logan helplessly, but thankfully his big brother seemed to understand. He sat down next to Patton on the couch and said quietly: 

“Ask him to look for five things he can see.“ 

“Virgil?” Patton repeated into the phone. “I’m right here, I promise, I’m not leaving…can you look around and tell me five things you can see right now?” 

“I- I don’t know…” 

“Please Virgil, you can do it, I know you can. Just five little things, that’s all.” 

“Um…there’s…there’s a trash can,” Virgil finally said in-between shaky breaths, and Patton nodded. 

“That’s great Kiddo, keep going.” 

“Streetlamp,” Virgil gasped. “And cracks…cracks in the sidewalk.”

Patton looked up at Logan, his eyes wide with worry. Virgil was outside? Alone, at this time of night? Logan nodded encouragingly at him, and Patton took a deep breath. 

“That’s great Virgil, you’re doing so good. Two more now, come on.” 

“I…”

“It’s okay Virge, you’re doing fine,” Patton reassured, trying to keep a tremor from his own voice. 

“Stoplight. In…at the end of the street, there…there’s a stoplight. And, a car. A car is stopped there.” 

“Good,” Patton’s voice cracked and he put a hand over his mouth so Virgil wouldn’t hear him cough to clear his throat. “That was great Virgil, I’m so proud of you…” 

“Now four things he can touch,” Logan gently prodded, and Patton repeated the command into the phone. 

By the time they finished the exercise, Virgil’s voice was calmer, steadier, and some of the tightness in Patton’s chest was gone. 

“I’m sorry,” Virgil said almost as soon as he’d calmed down. “I didn’t mean to bother you, I just didn’t know what else to do, and I-” 

“Virgil,” Patton said with as much strength as he could muster. “You’re not bothering me. You’re  _never_  bothering me, and you call…you call me  _any_ time you need, alright?” 

“I…”

“I  _mean_  it, Virgil.” 

“O-okay,” Virgil agreed shakily. Then, after a moment’s silence, he added a quiet “Thank you.” 

“Virgil…” Patton looked over hesitantly at Logan, who nodded at him again. “Virgil, where…where are you right now?” 

“I…” there was a pause, and Patton imagined Virgil looking around as he thought about his answer. “I’m not sure…I wasn’t thinking, I just ran out the door and I kept running and running until I couldn’t anymore, and I couldn’t breathe and I couldn’t think at all, it’s like my brain was frozen, and I don’t know how but I called you, and-” 

“Shhhh…” Patton interrupted Virgil before he could spiral out of control again. “It’s okay now Virge, I’m right here. Listen to my voice, okay? Just focus on me, it’ll be alright.’

“I’m sorry,” Virgil mumbled again, and Patton wanted nothing more than to crawl through his phone so he could be right there next to Virgil. 

“Ask him for a street name,” Logan whispered, already standing up and grabbing his jacket from the back of a nearby chair. 

Patton repeated the question, and after a moment Virgil was able to give them one. 

“Stay right there, okay Virgil?” Patton said as Logan grabbed his car keys. “We’re coming to get you.” 

“Don’t…don’t hang up?” Virgil pleaded, and Patton shook his head. 

“I won’t, Virge, I promise. I’m staying right here, I’m not going anywhere, okay?” 

Patton kept talking, about what he wasn’t even sure, as Logan drove out of their neighborhood and into the part of town where Virgil was. Once they reached the right street, Logan slowed the car and Patton leaned out his window, scanning the sidewalk desperately for any sign of his friend. 

“I…think I see you,” Virgil whispered into the phone just as Logan called out 

“There!”

Patton dropped his phone on the seat as he scrambled to exit the car, running towards the small, huddled form of his friend sitting curled up on the sidewalk next to a trash can. Patton stopped a few feet short of Virgil and squatted down in front of him. Virgil’s hood was drawn up against the chill of the evening air, but Patton could still see part of a bruise blossoming on one side of his friend’s face. 

“Can I-” he asked as he reached forward hesitantly, not wanting to push against any of Virgil’s boundaries. 

Virgil responded by practically flinging himself at Patton, shoulders shaking with fresh sobs as Patton’s arms immediately went around him in a tight hug. 

They sat there for awhile, Patton murmuring comforting words into Virgil’s ear while he cried, before Logan approached the pair of them cautiously.

“It’s cold tonight,” he said with an uncharacteristic gentleness. “Why don’t we get out of here, hm?” 

Virgil nodded, and let Patton pull him to his feet and lead him to Logan’s car. The two sat pressed together in the backseat; no words were spoken while they drove, but plenty was still said. 

They reached home, and Patton wasted no time in wrapping Virgil up in as many blankets as he could find and pressing a warm mug of hot cocoa into his hands. 

Logan sat next to them on the couch, and after a few minutes of silence, asked a simple question. 

“Do you wish to talk about it?” 

Virgil almost immediately shook his head, and Logan nodded once. 

“Very well then.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, hitting a few buttons then holding it up to his ear. “Hello, Roman? It’s me…No, I am not calling because I  _“cannot go a day without hearing your voice.”_  I’m sure your ego will survive, Roman. Listen, can you come over? And bring your Disney collection. No, I am not  _“admitting defeat,”_  Virgil’s here, and….yes. Yes, it is. Yes, Patton is with him. Alright. See you in ten.” 

Approximately sixteen minutes later, Roman arrived carrying a bag full of Disney DVDs and a grocery bag filled with junk food. 

“Can’t have a marathon without the proper supplies!” Roman declared, dumping the bag’s contents onto the couch, revealing them all to be among Virgil’s favorite snacks and drinks. He popped the first DVD,  _Tangled,_  into the player before plopping down on the couch next to Logan, lacing their fingers together and planting a kiss on his cheek. Logan turned slightly pink, but leaned his head on Roman’s shoulder and allowed him to run his fingers through his hair. 

Virgil, ever so slowly, began to relax, snuggling closer to Patton as he absently nibbled on a stick of licorice, his eyes glued to the TV. Patton kept an arm wrapped around Virgil’s shoulders, even after the other boy’s eyes drifted closed towards the end of their second movie. Patton looked over to Roman and Logan, who were both watching the pair of them with soft expressions. 

_Thank you,_  Patton mouthed, and Roman smiled as Logan nodded. 

In the morning, they would talk, try and figure out what to do, and make sure Virgil had whatever support he needed. But for the moment, the four of them were together, they were warm, and they were safe. 

And for now, that was enough. 


End file.
